


Peace Agreements and Marriage Proposals

by RedheadedSuperhero



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Dean Winchester, Arranged Marriage, Fluff, Happy Ending, King Castiel, King Dean, M/M, Omega Castiel (Supernatural), True Mates, little angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:07:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28379754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedheadedSuperhero/pseuds/RedheadedSuperhero
Summary: King Castiel had just recently stepped on the throne of Aniol, defying all those lords and ladies who did not want to see an omega in charge. But Castiel was resistant as much as he always tried to do what was best for his people. Even if that included an unwanted marriage between him and a prince of their long-time enemy to finally make peace between the two countries.He was content with his decision – until he meets his True Mate on the day before his wedding, and Castiel feels like he needs to choose between what is best for his country and his own happiness.Or: The one where Castiel arranges his own marriage for all the right reasons – with the wrong man.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 108
Kudos: 297





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, lovelies! I have written another short alpha/omega-Destiel piece. It is once again full of unrealistic fluff because that is exactly what I need these days. I realise that the premise is not much different from “The Choice”, but --- well, it is what it is (insert shrug-emoji). But maybe extra points for King Castiel…?
> 
> I divided the story into five short chapters. It is already complete, and I will hopefully post one chapter each day this week – so we should be finished by the New Year (because mindless fluff, to me, seems like the best way to end this year and head into a new one. Here’s hoping that 2021 will not suck as much.)
> 
> I hope you’ll enjoy this silly fic! :-D

**Peace Agreements and Marriage Proposals**

Chapter ONE

_(…)_

_Therefore, as I emphasised multiple times by now, it is my and my country’s foremost concern to keep peace between both our nations after this devastating period of war. And so, as I am sure you have guessed already, to formally initiate a new aera as partners and not opponents, I propose a marriage between both our royal houses. Since a wedding seems to be the customary choice to establish peace between two warring nations and has often worked in the past to secure a new alliance._

_And thus, Your Majesty, I ask for the hand of your brother Samuel Winchester in marriage. He is of the right age and, as far as I am informed, not yet promised to anyone else._

_You have my word that your brother will want for nothing here in Aniol and he will be treated with the utmost respect by myself as well as my people. However, to make it perfectly clear, he will not be the sovereign of this country. I alone will be king and Samuel shall be the Consort, with no ruling power of his own. But I can promise him a comfortable life. There will be nothing expected of him other than to father our children who will then inherit the throne one day. He may bring a handful of confidants to keep him company whenever he does not need to attend to his duties as Consort._

_I am looking forward to your immediate reply._

_Sincerely_

_Castiel of Aniol_

For the hundredth time, Castiel read his own letter. He was perfectly happy with it, but he had been told many times by now that his tone was often considered rude. And this letter had not been easy to write in the first place. But even though it took him hours to find the right words, he had not wanted any of his diplomats to prepare it for him. It was _his_ proposal, so he should be the one to offer it to his new ally. But sure enough, a voice piped up from over his shoulder to criticize him. And it was not an imagined one.

“You know, Cassie, this is pretty harsh. _I alone will be king_? I mean, not that it’s not true, but it’s also obvious, don’t you think? No need to spell it out like that. Especially when it sounds like Sam has no task at all in this government.” It was Balthazar who had sneaked up on Castiel and was reading the letter over his shoulder, brows furrowed. “Seriously, this reads like you expect Sam Winchester to just wait in your bed until you feel like conjugal visits. Like you only want him to shoot you up with his sperm. Or to satisfy your lust during long winter nights...”

Castiel frowned at the paper in his hand, but he could see nothing of the kind in his text. Not to mention that he was far from looking forward to certain matrimonial duties himself, much less was he lusting after them – he got the impression that it was seldom pleasant for the omega and he would not share another man´s bed more often than necessary. But even if there was some hidden message he had not intended to send, he _did_ want to make it clear that his consort would have no more than a formal position. And it was not like _omegas_ were not expected to do just that – look pretty and wait for their alphas to pay them some attention, wanted or not. Of course, Castiel did not plan to treat his husband that way. He had heard that Prince Samuel was highly educated, and he would gladly listen to the man’s advice. But it seemed important to specify their roles from the start. He was only glad that his intended husband was a beta and not an alpha. It would hopefully make things easier.

“I believe it is crucial to make it clear that I will be the ruler of my country. Samuel is a beta, and I am a mere omega,” Castiel stated in a bitter tone. “I don’t want the Winchesters to get any ideas that I will submit to my husband once we are married.” 

Balthazar sighed. “Castiel. I told you this before. The Winchesters don’t seem to be so hung up on those antiquated ideas as our old king Michael, may the devil rest his soul, much less like Lucifer. You will remember that I oversaw the negotiations of our peace agreement and spent some months in their country and they really don’t seem that old-fa…”

“But their fought by Lucifer’s side. They were his allies! You will surely understand that I am worried they have the same ideals as him.”

“First, John Winchester was tricked a decade ago to end up in league with Lucifer. Shortly after the old king’s death, Sam and Dean found out about the treachery and abandoned your dear uncle. That was years ago. Not only that, but it was Dean Winchester himself who beheaded Lucifer in the end. Don’t forget about that. They have not been on the same side for a long time.”

Castiel nodded grumpily. Balthazar had a point. The Winchesters might have started out as Lucifer’s allies in this war, but for years now, they had fought him with as much determination as Castiel’s people had. He sometimes wondered how much faster Lucifer could have been defeated if Michael had not been too short-sighted to take the outreached hand of the Winchesters three years ago, right after the old king had died. They could have formed one front against Lucifer, instead of three parties fending for themselves. But neither Michael nor Lucifer had ever considered the Winchesters as a threat on their own – their country was much smaller, their host just a quarter of the size as the brothers’ respective armies. But they were fierce and well-trained warriors, and their leader a great strategist. 

The last months of war had been gruesome. Michael had been killed by Lucifer – who was later beheaded by the Winchester king. Raphael, Castiel’s older brother, had made it back home, but had succumbed to his injuries only days afterwards, leaving a childless wife and a power vacuum behind. One Castiel quickly chose to fill. He was the only survivor of the royal family; he was smart and well educated – and determined to take control. Not because of blind ambition, but because he believed he could help his country heal. It had been a bitter fight, mostly of words and with hardly any bloodshed, but he had managed to bring some of the high lords and ladies on his side, like Balthazar and Hannah. Or even Crowley. Others had followed, mostly because everyone was so desperate for peace and Castiel seemed like the easiest solution. Even Uriel, head of the Palace Guard, had eventually accepted Castiel as his liege – which had made it a lot easier to bring the army on his side. But Castiel knew that even some of his closest advisors just waited for things to change. Waited for Castiel to pick a mate among them, and then let his husband take over. It would certainly explain why Zachariah or even Uriel had started to pay him the strangest compliments. They had not been happy when Castiel informed them that he chose to mate an outsider. One of their old enemies at that.

Castiel knew his rule was still fragile – but he also had true and powerful allies. Like Balthazar, a childhood friend, and his cousin Gabriel, who owned the biggest shire in Aniol. At least they were on his side. And Castiel trusted their input, so he took a moment to think about Balthazar’s words instead of simply dismissing them.

But in the end, he folded the letter, sealed it and handed it to Balthazar, who looked at it with an undecided expression.

“Please make sure this will be delivered to King Dean within the week.” Balthazar kept looking at the parchment, and Castiel sighed. “I understand what you are saying, Balthazar. And I trust your judgement. But I already have my own councilmen try and tell me I should forget about the idea of an omega ruling a kingdom and rather let my husband be in charge. I will not have said husband come into this marriage with the same ideas.”

“Like I said, I don’t think this will be a problem. But you know, the Winchester brothers are very fond of each other. And you obviously want this marriage to happen – but maybe Dean Winchester decides he won’t let his little brother go into another country when he’s not certain he will be treated respectfu…”

“But that is why I explicitly wrote that he will be treated with respect!” Castiel was beginning to lose patience. It was not like he _wanted_ to marry a stranger for Goddess’ sake – and if Balthazar kept talking to him, he might lose his courage to make the offer altogether.

Balthazar seemed to understand that it was wiser to stop arguing for once. The beta just rolled his eyes, took the letter Castiel was still holding out to him, sighed deeply, and put it into the pocket of his coat. “I will deliver it myself.” He rose and mumbled: “Maybe then I can smooth things over a little…”

Balthazar squeezed Castiel’s shoulder and stepped away from him. But when he reached the door, he stopped again.

“You really sure you want to do this, Cassie?”

Castiel looked up at his friend. He had seldom seen him so serious.

“I understand that you see this as your duty, _Your Majesty_ , but don’t you… don’t you think you deserve to marry someone you have feelings for, you are attracted to – instead of a complete stranger? You’re an omega. You could even meet your True Mate. Don’t you want to live happily ever after with him?”

For some reason, the question helped Castiel to regain his composure. “Even before I took the throne, Balthazar, I knew that I would have to marry for duty. I will admit I would prefer if I had at least met with my future husband before an engagement was formed – but the idea of a True Mate? That was never in the cards for me.”

“So you never dreamed about him? Your perfect alpha?”

Castiel scoffed. Of course he had. There was probably no alpha or omega on this planet who had not occasionally wondered about meeting their perfect other half. Still, Castiel said, mostly abiding to the truth: “I actually prayed I would never meet him. What good would that do? Knowing that some guard or soldier was my perfect fit, but never being allowed to marry him? That sounds worse than not meeting him at all.”

Balthazar looked at Castiel for a long moment, still with that serious expression. But then he smirked. “A guard, eh? So that’s your type – muscled, disciplined, ready to draw a sword. And then you would fall into strong arms at night while that alpha would put his special sword in…”

“Balthazar!” Castiel growled and threw the next thing he could reach, a copper bowl, at the man. It was his friend’s luck that the omega’s aim had always been off. Balthazar cackled and closed the door behind him.

Castiel smiled as well, and he had a feeling that this had been Balthazar’s intention with his last quip. To brighten his mood.

The rest of the day, Castiel buried himself in work, so he would have no opportunity to either muse about the idea of a True Mate or about his pending engagement with a very real fiancée. Brooding over what might or might not happen was useless. He had played his cards already.

If Dean Winchester agreed to his terms, Castiel would be married to Prince Samuel before the next Moon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw: I have a working title for all my stories. And this one was: Grumpy King Castiel :-D


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter TWO

Three weeks had passed since Castiel had written his masterpiece of a proposal letter. To both his relief and his dread, the Winchesters had accepted his offer of marriage.

Needless to say, this had provoked some outrage among the lords of Aniol. Zachariah still looked at Castiel like he wanted to slap him, but instead talked to him like one would to a child. Like Castiel was not competent enough to make this decision. While Castiel very much knew that Zachariah had simply hoped he would end up on the throne eventually. Uriel, the leader of the Palace Guard, recently took any chance he could get to talk to Castiel – since he often acted as his bodyguard, those opportunities were far more often than Castiel would have liked – and tried to convince the king that the Winchesters had been their enemies far too long to trust them now. Castiel should not ally with them; he should use their weakness after years at war and attack, try to expand the territory of Aniol. Uriel hardly seemed to notice that Aniol, too, was weakened after a decade of fighting, and the outcome of another war could not be predicted by anyone.

But some members of the Council had surprised Castiel. After a week of consideration, most seemed to be in favour of his decision. Crowley and Gabriel had been the first ones to speak up in favour of the wedding, both men influential, both tired of fighting, both eager for new trade deals to make money from this new peace – and soon a majority of the Council was backing Castiel’s proposal. It had been rather unexpectant. He had feared the marriage proposal would start new quarrels, but most of his lords seemed to respect him more than they had before. It seemed like they acknowledged that Castiel was willing to make uncomfortable personal decisions in order to help his country.

Castiel tried to concentrate on that, tried to concentrate on what he had accomplished this last year since he had taken the throne. He hoped those uplifting thoughts would help him with his current nervousness.

It did not seem to work, because his hands still trembled as he tried to tie his tunic.

Today, he would meet his future husband for the first time.

And tomorrow, he would get married.

It suddenly felt too rushed. But Castiel had been the one to insist on a speedy wedding, so he could hardly complain. And he did not. He just wanted to get this over with.

When he was finished dressing, he looked into the mirror. For today, he had deliberately chosen something simple. He did not want to meet his mate as the king of Aniol, but as his betrothed Castiel, so he wore simple leather pants and a blue tunic. Hannah had tried to get him to wear something white – being a virgin omega and all that – but Castiel thought it was bad enough that he had to wear a precious white frock for his wedding. _And_ a veil. He scoffed. No one expected the alpha or beta to ever display their purity for the world to see, but then again, no one expected them to be pure in the first place.

Castiel sighed. First, he had to establish a steady peace between his country and its direct neighbour. He needed to see to trade deals and make sure that all his subjects had enough to eat and could afford housing. He needed to get more healers trained. Then there were his ambitious plans for a new sewer system in the capital, and of course his heart project: community schools for everyone. 

Changing the rules of which colour an omega needed to wear for their wedding could wait. He would give everyone a heart attack if he suddenly decided to wear a red tunic to the ceremony just to spite them. Let them get used to an omega king first.

There was a knock at the door just as Castiel had reached for the reply letter of Dean Winchester to read it for the third time just this day. It was short and with few details, but Castiel still feared that he might have overlooked something, a special request or maybe some food allergies of his betrothed.

“Come in, please,” Castiel said, relieved that someone would distract him. He knew it must be one of his closest supporters, otherwise the guards would have sent them away.

“Castiel,” Hannah’s head appeared at the door, but instead of coming in, she just waved at him. “Come on. The Winchesters are arriving. Let’s take a look!”

Castiel knew where she wanted to go, and he could not deny his own curiosity. So he followed her through the corridors, two guards on his tail, until they found the perfect lookout in one of the towers. All too soon, Castiel would need to go down himself and greet his guests in person, but here he could watch them without being seen. As it was custom, guests from far away would first be shown to their chambers and get some time to refreshen themselves and maybe even take a nap before they would meet their official host. Which meant this was the perfect opportunity to get a first glance at his husband. Castiel just had to make sure to stay halfway in the shadows. It would be embarrassing if Samuel Winchester would later recognise him as the weirdo staring out of a peephole.

The party arrived in the courtyard, and it was smaller than Castiel had expected. But to be fair, there had not been that much time to prepare for a long journey of many people. There were two coaches, one of them seemed to be only used as a baggage carrier. Which meant that in the first one would likely sit Castiel’s fiancée, together with his brother, the king. All in all, there only seemed to be about twenty people, almost all of them on horseback. Not that surprising since the Winchesters prided themselves on their horsemanship.

The group stopped in the courtyard, and Balthazar, along with Anna and Gabriel, walked towards the guests to welcome them. One man of the Winchester entourage dismounted from a beautiful black horse and looked around the place with a grim expression before he walked to the carriage. Castiel assumed this man must be in charge of the personal guard of his fiancée. He looked closely at him, noticing the broad shoulders, the tense posture like he expected an attack any second as well as the bowlegged gait. With one last warning glare at no one in particular, the man opened the door to the carriage. Out came Samuel Winchester, husband of Castiel by tomorrow afternoon.

Castiel immediately recognised him since Balthazar had brought back a small painting after he had delivered Castiel’s offer to the Winchesters. It was supposed to be an engagement gift, a considerate one Castiel thought as he had at least been able to envision his future husband. He had expected the painting to be overly embellished, as paintings often were, but now he could see for himself that Samuel was in fact a handsome man. But no painting could have prepared Castiel for the sheer size of the beta. Even from his hideout, he could see that the man was practically towering over Balthazar, who was approximately the same size as Castiel. The omega frowned a little. He knew that, for many omegas, a tall mate was desirable, and he admitted he found the trait attractive himself. But he would probably get a spasm in his neck just from looking up at his mate every day. The guard beside his fiancée seemed to be much more of a reasonable size. Still tall, but not overwhelmingly so.

Two figures stepped out of the carriage behind Samuel, and Castiel was almost disappointed to see they were two women. He had been curious to meet the king of Winchester as well, but maybe Dean had not dared to leave his country without a Winchester to hold the fort. Or maybe he even feared this was a trap – which would explain the wary expression of the guard. Castiel remembered that during the war, Dean Winchester had been out on the field most of the time and acted as much as chief strategist of the Winchester army as well as a soldier himself – while Samuel had been in the palace most of the time, overseeing the country’s domestic needs. Castiel exhorted himself to remember that his fiancée was rather accomplished in handling state affairs. Maybe Balthazar was right, and he should declare openly that Samuel’s opinions would always be valued.

The two women stood on either side of Samuel, both of them petite with long red hair. But with all the resemblance, they seemed nothing alike. One of them smiled and appeared to be cheery and curious, the other one glanced around with a displeased expression, like she had expected more from their reception.

Balthazar, Gabriel and Anna bowed towards their guests, and Sam and the ladies responded in kind. Only the guard behind Sam gave just a jerky nod, while he was still glaring in all directions. Castiel thought it was rather rude. Unfortunately, he also thought the man was rather handsome. So much so that he did not pay too much attention on what his fiancée did but only watched the alpha. Because he was most certainly an alpha, Castiel would bet his left leg on it. Suddenly, the guard spoke and Castiel reeled back a little, surprised. He could not hear what was being said but the voice still made its way to his ear, and Castiel liked the deep rumble of it. Eventually, the party was led inside and Castiel needed to step back as to not been seen while everyone walked towards the gate.

“So, what do you think about your future husband, Castiel?”

Castiel looked to the side and into Hannah’s friendly face. It was only now that Castiel realised he had not paid that much attention to Samuel Winchester the last few minutes. He had been too enamoured with another figure.

“We’ll see. I can hardly say anything after five minutes.” Hannah looked a bit disappointed. “But at least I now know what he looks like. And he seems --- nice,” Castiel finished weakly, more to calm Hannah than anything else. He could hardly tell her that he had not even really looked at his fiancée, not while that handsome alpha was standing next to him.

He scoffed at himself. Maybe guards _were_ his type.

Best to never tell Balthazar about this.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter THREE

Castiel knew that he shouldn’t do it.

It was less than an hour until he would meet his intended husband at an informal dinner of just eight people. But he was nervous, and being in the stables always calmed him. He even had his idea about the new sewer system while he had brushed his favourite horse. A task that Balthazar claimed was not very kingly, but sometimes Castiel needed to remind himself that he was just as much a person as a king. And right now, it was either the stables or sparring, and for some reason he thought Balthazar would scold him even more if he decided to practise some new sword moves right now. He told the guards to wait at the stable doors as he always did – it was part of the charm of coming here, to be alone. Here, with the horses, he was just Castiel, not a king, not an omega. And certainly not the first omega king Aniol had ever seen.

He noticed there were more horses in the building than was common. But he quickly remembered why. This might be the secluded _royal_ stables, but of course, Gabriel would have offered the Winchesters to shelter their most prized animals where they would get the best treatment. It was luck that they had already settled in and the place was relatively quiet at the moment. Castiel looked around and his eyes landed on one beautiful black mare. He marched over to get a closer look. He would not bet his life on it, but he thought that this was the horse that a certain guard had arrived on. It smelled nice. Castiel frowned. Something was odd. He liked horses, but in all honesty, they did not usually smell this good.

Castiel sniffed. There was definitely a pleasant scent in the air. Great even, of grass and elderflower, and whiskey, and home.

Wait --- _home_? How could anything smell like _home_?

But the scent just intensified and Castiel reached a hand out to touch the horse, to somehow solve this riddle of the homelike scent he could not specify.

“I wouldn’t touch her. She _looks_ pretty, but she has a temper with anyone but me.”

Castiel turned around quickly. The Winchester guard he had been ogling about an hour ago was standing behind him, still a few metres away, but Castiel still startled as he had not heard anyone come in. Then again, there were about a dozen horses here, so it was easy to miss the sound of footsteps on hay-covered wood.

The alpha drew in a deep breath and Castiel could see something in the man’s eyes change. They turned darker and there was a sudden hunger in them.

Castiel gasped – and breathed in more of that heavenly scent. He realised that it did not actually come from the horse, but from the man in front of him.

And then he panicked.

This could not be happening.

Dear gods in heaven, this could not be happening.

This man smelled like _Mate_.

Just weeks ago, Castiel had explained to Balthazar that he did not want to ever meet his True Mate – and now he was standing here in the middle of Castiel’s stables, looking all too much like the broad-shouldered alpha Castiel had tried to never imagine.

The alpha’s gaze softened to something gentler than the predator’s hunger from a second before. He looked Castiel over from head to toe and the omega blushed. For goodness sake, he was a king who had defied the expectations of most of his Council members in the past year. He had put himself on the throne, had talked down every stupid alpha who had dared to challenge his position and had arranged the first peace treaty in a decade – and now he stood here and blushed like a schoolboy with a crush.

His crush just smiled. Then the alpha’s eyes paused on his neck, and that smile turned into a grin. Right. Castiel was not marked. He had just met his True Mate who now must think he was an omega without commitments. Ready to be taken.

Just as that thought had popped up in Castiel’s mind, the alpha took one step towards him.

Castiel’s eyes widened. Would the alpha really just claim him here?

Castiel noticed that a part of him, his stupid inner omega, cheered and was ready to tilt his head to the side to give his alpha access. But Castiel had never allowed his omega to take control before and he would not start now. So instead of adopting a submissive pose, Castiel stepped backwards.

The alpha immediately stopped in his tracks, a frown on his face. He then held his hands up placatingly, and let them fall back to his sides when Castiel did not react in any way.

“Hey... I’m Dean,” he finally said, looking a bit uncertain.

Castiel swallowed. The alpha’s voice _was_ nice.

“Casti--- I am Cas,” Castiel replied, mouth dry and voice even raspier than usual. No need to tell the man who he was. This was already a disaster.

They stood a little awkwardly, at least three metres away, staring at each other. But his alpha still smiled. He looked so happy. And beautiful.

“Hey, Cas.” Dean’s hands twitched, like he wanted to reach out, but in the end he relaxed them at his sides again. “So… you live in the palace, Cas?”

“Yes, I do.” And not to give the alpha the opportunity to keep asking dangerous questions, he said: “And you are with the Winchester party, right?” No, that was a problematic topic as well. “Your --- ah--- your horse is very beautiful, Dean.” Now, that’s better. Totally innocuous.

“Yeah, she is. Not half as beautiful as you, though.”

Again, Castiel blushed. And then he rolled his eyes. It was the strangest feeling. He could not deny that he was flustered at the compliment – anything friendly this alpha would say to him would probably send butterflies to his stomach – but he _had_ been complimented by a number of alphas before. Alphas who were not interested in him, but his crown. Castiel was not used to honest compliments, and even though this man in front of him could not know who he was, his flattery had sounded just as cheesy and insincere as Zachariah’s.

The alpha’s horse seemed to agree, as it snorted loudly behind Castiel.

Dean chuckled and looked at the mare. “Hey, I’m sorry, baby, but it’s true.”

Castiel frowned at the man who was talking to his horse like this was a normal thing to do. But then Dean’s radiant smile was directed at Castiel again and he whispered with an adorable smirk: “She’s just jealous.”

Castiel let out a little chuckle at the oddity of this conversation. Dean seemed to take it as a good sign and took two more steps towards Castiel. This time, the omega did not shy away. He knew he should, but he wanted nothing more than to stumble forwards and push his nose into the alpha’s neck – so standing still seemed like a good compromise.

“I never thought I’d meet you.” Dean grinned. “My brother is the romantic one, who constantly got on my nerves, talking about how I might one day meet my True Mate. And I always made fun of him for those pipe dreams. But here you are. Right in the palace of our old enemies. I guess it’s a good thing we finally made peace, or I would have never found you.”

Castiel was now even more convinced that this man was a soldier, judging from the way he talked about his _enemy_. But Castiel did not want to think about that right now. He just finally wanted to touch his alpha.

Maybe Dean had read his mind because the alpha closed the gap between them, standing close enough to touch. He raised a hand to Castiel’s face, and the omega was surprised how tender the calloused skin felt on his. He was even more surprised when he reached forwards without thinking and pressed his nose into the crook of Dean’s neck.

The alpha truly did smell like home. Of course Castiel had heard stories, but he had never been able to completely _understand_. The idea of this compelling scent that made you recognise your Mate in an instant – it had sounded like a fairy-tale. But here he stood, in the middle of the stables, drinking in the most wonderful scent in the world. And he knew where he belonged.

“I would love to get to know you,” Castiel whispered, not thinking clearly.

Dean replied with a soft rumble that did not sound at all like the growls alphas usually gave out. It was a pleasant sound, and Castiel let out a little purr in reply. Next thing, Dean’s arms were around him and the alpha nuzzled Castiel’s hair, no urgency in his movements. He made no attempt to kiss the omega much less claim Castiel like he had feared just a few moments ago.

“And I cannot wait to take you home with me,” Dean said as a hand stroked over Castiel’s back.

This was perfect. Castiel had never thought that you could get drunk on a scent, but as he stood there, he felt his logic slip away while his mind made up pictures about living in a simple house with Dean, feeling happy and safe and like he was right where he belonged, like he did now, for the rest of his life. No responsibilities. No arguing with stupid lords.

No princes he needed to marry.

That thought might as well have been a bucket of cold water over Castiel’s head. He stiffened, and Dean immediately let got and looked down at him with a frown. Castiel still had a hand in the man’s tunic, not remembering when it got there, but he stood completely still. After a moment, Dean’s scent turned slightly bitter.

“I am in no rush, Cas.” He took the omega’s hand, the one that had been cramped in his tunic. “I want to get to know you, too. You can introduce me to your family, and I’ll formally propose to you once we have their blessing.”

“I can’t, Dean.” Castiel closed his eyes, mouth almost too dry to talk. “I am already promised to someone else.”

Dean let out a mixture of a scoff and a growl. “We are True Mates, Cas. I am sure that whoever you are betrothed to will understand that things have changed.”

“It’s not about him… I mean…” Castiel paused, not knowing how to explain his situation without making it worse.

“Then what? Is it your family? They can’t hold you back either. Whatever the case, Cas, I can deal with it. I can pay them off. Or we could elope to Winchester. I promise, nothing will happen to you there.” There was a little grin on Dean’s face. “Trust me, whatever it is, I will deal with it.”

Castiel sagged against the hard body in front of him, and Dean’s arms tightened around him again. It sounded great. Just running away with his mate.

But no. He had worked so hard. He did not want to just be a mate and a father. He had fought for years now to end up in the position he held. He was a good king, and he had so many plans for his country. He could not just give them up.

But … Dean might agree and live with him here.

Castiel let out a little sob. It did not matter. He could not marry a mere soldier. It would ruin everything he had worked for all these years. The Council would never accept a commoner as a Consort, even if the alpha might agree to this. Which was a big if. He was an alpha after all. He probably would want Castiel to accustom to his lifestyle, not the other way around. Or maybe, he would be glad to find out Castiel was king – he did not only get a Mate, but also wealth. And maybe the opportunity to rule himself. Castiel could never allow a stranger to take the crown of Aniol.

But most importantly, Castiel was promised to the Winchester prince. He could not risk another war by insulting their new ally. And if he now cancelled the wedding he himself had arranged, just a day in advance, he might have as easily punched the king of Winchester in the face.

Castiel stepped back so that Dean’s arms fell down to nothingness.

“I cannot be with you, Dean. I am sorry. We should both forget we ever met. I am promised to someone else. I have fought hard for this union…”

At first, Dean looked more confused than rejected. Then there was anger in his scent, but Castiel did not back down. He had not backed down from all the alphas in his court, he would not start with his own Mate.

“Fought hard for… what? Is this about some rich dude or what? I can give you…”

“No, Dean, this is not about wealth. It is about the path in life I chose for myself. I cannot give that up. Giving that up would mean giving up on myself and all that I have accomplished.”

Castiel knew he was being vague, but he did not want to expose his true identity to Dean. He feared Dean might turn on his own prince and threaten Samuel once he found out that he was betrothed to his Mate.

“I need to go now. I am expected for… I need to get back to my duties.”

Dean looked contemplative for a moment. Then he abruptly pressed his nose down and into Castiel’s neck. He nipped gently at Castiel’s mating gland without breaking skin, and the omega’s knees turned weak. Everything he had just said suddenly made no sense anymore. He should not push his alpha away; he should bare his neck a little more so that Dean could properly claim him.

But this time, it was Dean who stepped back.

“I have your scent now, my mate. You can leave and see after your responsibilities as I need to get back to mine. I would not want to cause you trouble with your king. He already seems to be enough of a dick. But I will find you again. We will talk about this.” His voice had been accompanied by a low growl. Dean closed his eyes for a second, and when he opened his mouth again, his voice was much gentler. “I will not force you into anything, Cas. But this has surprised us both. Maybe you just need time to think about it. And whatever it is that is holding you back, I believe I at least deserve an explanation. Not many people have the opportunity to mate someone the gods have destined for them – and even though I am not usually fond of some deity messing with my life, I will not simply throw away this treasure.”

Castiel did not have the heart to tell him that within twenty-four hours he would be a married man – and then there was nothing left to talk about anymore. He just needed to make sure that Dean would not be allowed near him until then. So he would not cause a scene. Luckily, tonight was supposed to be a private dinner.

After one last look into beautiful green eyes, Castiel turned around and fled.

Just before the door behind him closed, he heard the alpha say: “Trust me, I will find you again.”

It did not sound like a threat, but a promise.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter FOUR

Castiel hurried through the corridors with his guards in tow, his face still flushed.

He had returned to his rooms to freshen up, but he was still flustered. His fiancée would probably meet a nervous wreck, and not the responsible king he wanted to be perceived as.

His fiancée.

For the hundredth time in the last half hour did Castiel curse his fate. Why did he have to meet his True Mate – and why today of all days!

Castiel was a devout man, and some part of him tried to convince him that maybe he had done something to displease his Goddess. Uriel was walking behind him, looking as exasperated as he had ever since Castiel had made his plan to marry the Winchester prince public, and he would certainly assume that Castiel had acted blasphemous when he had declared himself king and was now cursed – but Castiel did not believe that was true. He had chosen a more generous and egalitarian deity to pray to than Uriel’s self-righteous God. But still, this felt too unfortunate to be a mere coincidence.

Maybe it was a trial. To test if Castiel was willing to give up his own happiness in order to serve his people.

If this was true, then Castiel could not help but quarrel with his Goddess. When Dean had called him _mate_ , it had felt perfectly _right_. As had the alpha’s scent and touch. It seemed like a cruel way to test Castiel´s devotion to his duties. He whined lowly, and hoped his guards were not able to hear him. He also hoped that pining sickness was just a myth, because he could swear he already suffered from it.

Castiel reached the door to the smallest dining room of the palace and straightened.

He looked at the two soldiers who were stationed outside the room, ready to give them a nod to open the door – and blanched.

Yes, this was a private dinner, just four people each party – but what if Sam had chosen Dean to partake in the dinner? It was considered rude to take personal guards with you on such an occasion, but the Winchester party had been rather small, and not many aristocrats seemed to have followed the Prince. And even though Uriel would wait outside, it was not like Castiel would be without protection himself since Anna was a strong fighter. The Winchesters probably also wanted someone in the room who could keep the prince safe. And Samuel had obviously not brought his brother, who might have filled the role of protector in a more inconspicuous way, like Anna did.

Oh goddess, why did Castiel only now think about this possibility?

He could feel his heart, beating so hard like it was trying to burst out of his chest. He could not meet his betrothed, the man he was supposed to marry the next day, with his True Mate in the same room.

Even if Castiel somehow managed to ignore his own feelings, he had an inkling that Dean might not be as calm. Alphas were usually possessive, and Castiel could not imagine that his mate just stood there while Castiel talked to Samuel Winchester, the man he had promised to marry. Even more troubling was that a part of Castiel absolutely hated the idea that Dean would be able to just step to the side. He _should_ fight for him.

_I will find you again._

The words still rang in Castiel’s ears and made his skin tingle in anticipation. He had been secretly impressed that Dean had not even asked about his sleeping quarters – that the alpha had seemed so confident he would find him on his scent alone. The idea of Dean stalking through the corridors of the palace at night, like a predator looking for his prey, should probably not send such a pleasant shiver down Castiel’s spine.

He should rather focus that his alpha had also called him a dick. Not even Balthazar went so far as to use that kind of langue in front of him, much less would he use that term to describe Castiel.

The king closed his eyes for a second and when he opened them again, he saw confusion on the soldiers faces.

No matter if Dean waited on the other side of the door or not, there was no way Castiel could turn around and walk away. He could just pray to his Goddess – which he did, quickly and somewhat grumpily – and ask her to help him through the evening. It was bad enough that he had to ignore his feelings; he should at least be spared to meet Dean again tonight. He certainly could not deal with his mate before he was married.

Castiel straightened his shoulders and nodded regally at the guards, who immediately swung open the doors. One of them announced in a formal voice: “King Castiel of Aniol.”

At one look, Castiel noticed he was the last to join the dinner party. Balthazar, Anna and Gabriel were already there; they had surely been the first to arrive in order to receive their guests. As Castiel stepped into the room, everyone immediately rose from their seats. Samuel Winchester, smile nervous but open, turned towards Castiel, again the two redheaded women were on either side of him. And there was one figure standing by the fire. Castiel did not have to look in the man’s direction to know who he was – he could smell Dean, as well as feel him. It seemed his prayers had not been answered. Castiel tried to ignore the alpha, assuming this would go over better if he did not so much as look at him. Instead, he tried to focus on Samuel Winchester, who was currently walking towards him and stopped right in front of Castiel.

“My lord, it is a pleasure to finally meet you,” he said. It was a breach of etiquette; Castiel was sure the beta should not have addressed him before they had been properly introduced. But Castiel was not a friend of mindless social rules in the first place, so he rather likes Samuel´s approach.

Still ignoring the dark figure in the corner, he bowed a little towards his betrothed who responded in kind.

“Please, call me Castiel. And the pleasure is all mine, Samuel.”

“Everyone calls me Sam.” The beta’s smile lost some of the nervousness, and Castiel thought for a moment that, under different circumstances, he would have probably calmed down himself by now – the man in front of him seemed sincere and warm, and like a good enough match for him, considering this was an arranged marriage.

Alas, an even better match was in the same room, a brooding presence in the corner of his eye.

The alpha by the fire was surprisingly quiet and motionless, but his scent intensified. Sam looked in the guard´s direction for a second, then cleared his throat nervously and turned to the women.

“May I introduce you to my companions, Castiel? This is Charlie Bradbury, an old friend of mine who faced her travel-sickness to stand by my side tomorrow.” The redhead chuckled a little and curtsied towards Castiel. Then Sam motioned at the other woman. “And this is Lady Rowena.” The woman in question bowed her head, but her eyes never really left Castiel’s face. Castiel was not sure if she was just usually snotty, or if she had a problem with an omega king. “She is looking forward to negotiate the terms of trading with Lady Anna and Lord Gabriel. Of course, that can wait until after the wedding. And finally, this is…”

But the last words were interrupted by a furious growl. Castiel closed his eyes in defeat. Of course, he could not have just ignored Dean for the rest of the night. The alpha had been quiet so far, but it seemed that the reminder of the upcoming wedding was too much to control himself any longer. And here Castiel had even started to hope that Dean would understand how important this union was.

Sam looked at his guard in a mixture of confusion and worry. “Dean…,” he started, but stopped as the alpha walked towards the group with a determined expression. At least he did not snarl at his liege.

Castiel took two steps backwards, not so much because he felt the need to back down from Dean, but because his omega had suddenly decided that he was standing too close to another unmated man while his True Mate had not yet marked him. Better not give that beta any ideas. Castiel huffed in irritation. _That beta_ was his _fiancée_.

“Dean and I already met,” Castiel said, trying to find the right words to somehow save the situation. “We… ahem…” He looked around in the hopes that anything would help him find an explanation for Dean’s ongoing growl that did not have the words True and Mate in them. Rowena and Charlie looked confused in Dean’s direction, Sam frowned at the alpha, but none of the three seemed overly concerned with the guard’s sudden hostility. Very unlike Anna, who had moved to place herself between Castiel and Dean. The alpha stopped growling, as well as striding closer towards the omega, but kept looking at Castiel, who tried his best to not return the gaze. He was sure that as soon as he looked into those beautiful green eyes, he would forget about his responsibilities.

But maybe it would not be so bad if he decided to marry the guard instead of Sam. He was one of the Winchester people, wasn’t he? To be the personal guard of a prince, he probably even had some noble blood in him, maybe the third son of a duke or an earl. Maybe of an important enough House, so the wedding could still count as a peace offering between the two countries. While Castiel’s mind and heart tried to come up with a solution that would lead to a happy ending, all of his companions seemed to have realised that there was something strange going on.

“What’s going on, Cassie?” Balthazar asked. And Gabriel piped up: “Yeah, this looks like Dean-o here is opposed to this marriage and will not wait until the minister asks him to speak now or hold his peace forever. Well, I did hope for an entertaining wedding…”

“I don’t …,” Castiel stuttered out at the same time as Dean growled: “There will be no wedding between Sam and Cas.”

Everyone turned to Dean with different amounts of confusion on their faces while Castiel finally made the mistake of looking at his alpha. And suddenly, he was unable to speak, to explain.

“Wait a moment… Castiel, you said you met Dean before.” Sam rubbed his hand over his face like he suffered from the beginning of a headache. “In the stables, right?” He turned to the alpha guard with a disbelieving expression and pointed at Castiel. “Dean, is _this_ your Mate you just told me about? The one who does not want you?”

Castiel´s eyes widened. He certainly had not expected that Dean would have told his prince about meeting his Mate already. Granted, it was a big event, but also personal. At least Castiel thought so. And it had just happened half an hour ago! But it seemed like Castiel was not as much surprised as the rest of the room, if for different reasons.

“What?” A female voice asked as another one said: “Now, this _is_ entertaining.”

“Mate – are we talking with a capital M here – because this is better than I could have ever hoped for!” Gabriel laughed and sat down at the table that was already set for dinner. Balthazar just looked between Castiel and Dean with his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish, while Anna looked still wary but noticeably less hostile towards Dean.

Dean started smiling, warm and inviting, and took the last three steps towards Castiel, took the omega’s hand and turned towards the Prince of Winchester. “Yes, Sammy, this is my Mate.”

Goddess, he sounded so proud; and Castiel knew he was lost. There was no way he would marry Sam tomorrow. He could just hope not to ruin the alliance completely. But for some strange reason, Samuel did not look offended at all. He looked – _happy_.

“I am truly so---,” Castiel caught himself. He was not _truly sorry_ , and he would not lie. “I did not mean to offend you…”

“Offend me? Castiel, I could not be happier than to see my brother with his Mate.”

Beside him, Dean huffed out a laugh and squeezed Castiel’s hand a little tighter, but the omega frowned.

“Your _brother_?” He looked up at Dean in disbelief.

There was some chuckling and whispers behind Castiel.

“Oh my god, he doesn’t know who Dean is!”

“Well, Cassie can be a little lost in his own world and no one introduced them so far…”

“What, so they met in the _stables_ , fell in love as True Mates are supposed to do, and did not know who the other one is? That is both incredibly romantic _and_ incredibly stupid!”

“Maybe this is all a ruse or Cassie here has prepared some entertainment for us. Like those theatre dinners the townspeople are so fond of.”

Castiel glared to the side where four people had sat down and were now looking up at Dean, Sam and him like they were in fact some actors on a stage. Only Anna stayed close to Castiel, ready to jump in if she was needed.

Dean fully turned around and looked down at Castiel. “I fear I have not properly introduced myself before. I am Dean, currently king of Winchester.”

“I don’t understand… I thought you were a guard…” Castiel blinked a few times, not sure if he should feel relieved or if this just meant everything was even more complicated than before.

“A misconception I can easily understand. Since I thought you were some sort of servant. I certainly did not expect to meet the King of Aniol in the stables.” He smiled and Castiel could feel himself already fall in love with the crinkles around the alpha’s eyes. The alpha’s smile was beautiful. Not like his own that wrinkled up all of his face. Dean was perfection, and it seemed only logical that his smile was too.

Dean kissed his hand. “I do understand that you told me you were already under obligations to marry someone else,” the softest hint of a growl accompanied those words, “but you can clearly see that you cannot marry my brother. So I do hope you will take me instead.”

Castiel closed his eyes. He did agree that he could never marry the brother of his Mate. But that did not mean he could just marry the alpha instead. Things seemed even more complicated than before, if possible.

“I can’t, Dean. I am so sorry.”

“What?!” creaked Charlie and Balthazar at the same time while Rowena crooned: “Aniol seems a lot more interesting than Winchester…”

“Dean, I … I am king of this country. I helped rebuild it after the war. I am the last of my family and I believe, immodest as it may sound, that I can bring this country forwards. I can help my people. The power structure was frail right after the fighting, and I can’t just leave after I have fought so hard to…”

“Who said anything about you having to leave?”

“What? But you just… I don’t understand.” Castiel frowned at Dean. How else could this work? Dean was a king, like Castiel. A long-distance marriage did not sound very promising. Or was Dean hoping to unite their kingdoms – that he would be king of both their nations. Even if Dean would accept him as his equal, ruling side by side, Castiel did not think that uniting their countries was the right thing to do. As his mind raced through different options, he kept staring at Dean, who kept smiling.

“Ohhh, it looks like he’s going down on one knee anytime now.”

Castiel was not sure who had said that last bit, but he was confused enough already, and easily irritated. He turned to the group at the table and opened his mouth to dress them down, but Sam pre-empted his outburst.

“I believe it is time we leave those two alone,” the beta said.

“What? No!”

There were groans from four adults, but Sam, Dean and Castiel just watched them with threatening glares until they all stood and left the room, grumbling. Anna shot Dean another stern look, before she too went out.

Sam stood there for another moment, smiling. He then hugged Castiel, who was not used to those forms of affection even from his friends. The omega just stood there for a second and then gave an awkward pat on Sam’s back.

“I am sure we would have made a great wedded couple, Castiel, but we will probably be even better brothers.”

Dean snorted out a chuckle which was very different from his reaction before when Sam had mentioned their marriage. He seemed secure now, brimming with joy. Like everything would work out perfectly. Castiel realised that everyone had acted that way in the last few minutes.

Sam then embraced his older brother who returned the hug – a thing that bewildered Castiel a little, since alphas did not do such things in Aniol. They were usually too occupied with threatening glares and looking tough.

“I am really happy for you, Dean.”

Dean ruffled the beta’s hair. “Thank you. And you know I always said you’d be much better at the job than I am…”

Sam rolled his eyes, but he still smiled as he left the room as well, closing the door behind him.

As soon as they were alone, Castiel took a few steps away from Dean. They needed to talk. Everyone seemed so sure they would mate – and he was not surprised about that since he had never heard about True Mates who did not take that step – but Castiel was not sure of anything right now.

“You said that I did not have to leave?” Castiel tried to bring their conversation back to when they had been interrupted by their audience.

Dean rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. He looked adorable as he watched the floor with a bashful expression, and Castiel once more had to refrain himself from walking up to the man and burry his nose in his neck.

“Look, Cas…”

At the same time as Dean had started to explain, the doors opened, and Castiel could see Uriel walk in. The commander of his personal guard obviously did not want Castiel to be alone with a stranger and had decided the king needed a babysitter. Of course, he did not know that Dean was his Mate and would never hurt him. But before Castiel could get annoyed, Dean let out an angry snarl.

Castiel hardly had time to be surprised by the alpha’s reaction – or to register the knife flying his way.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! <333

Chapter FIVE

Next thing Castiel knew, he had somehow landed on the floor, Dean on top of him. He looked up and saw a knife in the wall, right at the height where his chest had been mere seconds ago.

He was too confused to move for another moment, but Dean was already on his feet again, a low growl still rumbling in his chest, and Castiel finally looked towards Uriel, who had another knife in his hand already. His face was stone cold.

The commander of the Palace Guard threw the other knife in Castiel’s direction, ignoring Dean completely. But his second attempt at Castiel’s life was just as futile as the first. Castiel rolled to the side fast enough, and Dean crashed into Uriel about the same moment. It was a loud and angry fight between the two alphas, but it took mere seconds. Dean quickly had Uriel pressed against the wall, and punched alternately into his face and stomach while the other hand was around the commander’s throat. It looked like Castiel’s Mate was ready to kill.

“Dean, wait.”

Castiel had finally managed to stand again and looked at the bloody Uriel who seemed to have problems breathing. The alpha did not seem to hear, so Castiel walked up to him and grabbed his arm. “Dean, stop.”

Dean did, but it seemed like he was more concerned that he would accidentally hurt Castiel who still held onto him.

“He tried to kill you,” Dean growled. “He deserves to die.”

“No. He deserves to go to prison and then face a trial.”

Dean looked at him incredulously.

“I forbade to execute people without trial. I cannot make exceptions just because I was the victim of a crime.”

Dean looked at Uriel, who was still choking, then back at Castiel. “But you had your angry _Mate_ with you who did not know about your laws. Blame it on me.”

Castiel did not say how tempting this idea was. It would not help.

Just as he wanted to explain to Dean how bad an idea this was, the door opened again. Obviously, the fight had caused enough noise to unsettle the other guards outside, as they poked their heads into the room. Once they saw Dean choking their superior, they raised their own weapons, ready to strike the hostile alpha.

But Castiel intervened. “Stand back. King Dean just saved my life.”

They looked confused but calmed down considerably when Dean finally let go of Uriel.

“Uriel just tried to assassinate me.” Castiel pointed at the knives in the wall. Winchester knives, a part of his brain noticed.

The guards looked at Uriel and their expressions changed from confused to incredulous, but then they looked back at Castiel and their faces turned horrified.

“My lord… had we known… we would never…” the soldier stopped, looking to the ground, at a loss for words.

“Your task is to guard the doors, I believe,” Dean said, voice threateningly low.

The guards both blanched, but managed timid nods.

“But Sir Uriel, he asked us to accompany the visitors to another chamber for dinner. He said he himself would look after king Castiel in the meantime…”

Castiel felt bad for the two betas. Of course they would listen to Uriel. He was their commander. Castiel was about to say as much when Dean took a step towards them, still glaring at Uriel from the side in case he made a threatening move from where he was now crouched on the floor.

“You should always work in pairs. I am sure your instructor told you as much.” The guards both nodded. “Same rules apply for your Commander. Never guard anyone on your own – especially not your king of all people. If something happens, one needs to be able to stand back while the other one can send for backup.” They nodded again, looking shameful to the ground and Castiel had a feeling that this had been in fact an important part of their training. “You,” Dean pointed at the woman “wait outside; guard the door like you’re supposed to. And you,” he nodded to the male, “get six more soldiers. Two to relieve you at the doors. And four to take care of him.” Dean non-too-gently hit his foot against Uriel’s leg so that he let out another groan. “Once the others arrive, you’ll go down to the yard and do push-ups until someone comes and tells you to stop.”

They both nodded, and Castiel felt a little left out. But the moments while Dean had ordered his guards around also had helped him to regain his composure.

When the two soldiers were gone, the king turned to the wincing alpha on the floor. The other one was gently resting a hand on Castiel’s shoulder.

“What was this about, Uriel? I know we did not always see eye to eye – but wanting me dead? That’s --- surprising. I thought you had accepted me as king.”

As a reply, Uriel spat at Castiel’s feet. Then he groaned when Dean hit him in the side again.

“You’re not my king. You’re a whiny omega.”

Inwardly, Castiel winced, but he did not let his hurt show on his face. Unlike Uriel, who groaned as Dean again pressed a foot into his side.

“Strange. I could swear you’re the only one whining in this room.”

Castiel, who was not a friend of uncontrolled violence, had to supress a chuckle at his alpha’s words.

“But if you don’t see me as your king… if you even wanted me dead… then why have you not acted earlier? You are a high-ranking soldier. Commander of the Palace Guard – there had been hundreds easier opportunities for you to kill me…” He glanced momentarily at Dean, then back to Uriel. “When they would have been no witnesses. You could have poisoned me or even choked me in my sleep. Made it look like an accident.”

Dean let out a mixture between a whine and a snarl, and Castiel intuitively reached for his hand to show his Mate that he was well and alive, despite his words. Uriel looked at their intertwined fingers with clear disgust.

“Unless… unless it was important to _have_ a witness. Or rather a Winchester as witness,” Castiel stated, finally understanding Uriel’s motive. “No, not a witness. A scapegoat.”

Dean sucked in a breath of air as Castiel’s words sunk in and he hunkered down, sneering in Uriel’s face. “You tried to blame this on me. The feral Winchesters, the old enemy, who came to betray the peace agreement and kill the young king.”

“You would have blamed my death on Dean,” Castiel agreed. “While you would pretend to be the pitiful commander, arriving too late to save his king. It might have worked. Even if Dean knew the truth, would swear it had happened differently… many people would rather believe you than him. And maybe you would have even managed to kill _him_ as well.” Castiel let out a growl that was considered very unbecoming of an omega. “But even if you had not succeeded to end Dean’s life, with me dead, you would finally have your war, one way or another. I should have foreseen this. You were always one of the supporters of an attack on Winchester.”

“And a strong leader would have done it!” Uriel yelled. “They have great riches and fertile lands. We could bring this country back to old glory!”

“What glory are you talking about? When our people were starved, their fields burned from war? In the last months, so many things changed for the better. Don’t you see it? We can only thrive in peace.”

“There would be peace once we subdued the Winchesters.”

“At what cost?” Castiel shook his head, almost sad. “There will be peace, Uriel. By working together, by following one unifying goal, and not by starting another war.”

“Cas will help your country a lot more than your plans ever could,” Dean stated, still glowering at Uriel. “But you won’t get to see it. Your sorry ass will rot in a cell, while our ambassadors negotiate treaties that will help both our countries to gain more stability. There will be no more killing in the future, no more fighting.”

Castiel looked up at Dean with a soft smile. One of the few things he knew about the Winchester king was that Dean was supposed to be a soldier at heart, and it pleased him that even this man seemed to be content to stop the fighting.

There was some turmoil coming from the corridor. Castiel turned around and six soldiers stood to attention, waiting for his orders. He put some distance between him and Dean, not feeling comfortable with the alpha touching him in front of his men. Someone must have informed Anna, because she arrived right after the group.

“What happened?” She simply asked after one look at Castiel, Dean and then the bleeding Uriel on the ground.

Castiel was glad that it was only Anna who came, and not Gabriel or Balthazar – or that Lady Rowena. This would be a lot easier and faster with her. She was loyal to him, as well as respected by the Guard. And she did not waste his time with useless quips in a moment like this.

“Uriel committed treason by trying to kill me. I want him to be thrown into the dungeon, heavily guarded, until the day of his trial.”

Anna’s face hardened, but otherwise she did not show any emotion. Her calm response seemed to help the other guards to collect themselves as well. There was some commotion until finally four soldiers led Uriel away to his cell, followed by Anna who occasionally growled. Two more soldiers took position on either side of the door. Castiel was relieved that they had not argued. They had just listened to him – even as he was accusing their commander of an atrocious crime. The former guards slunk away with bowed heads. Castiel frowned as Dean closed the door, remembering where the alpha had sent them.

“I feel bad for them. They did nothing wrong.”

“Yes, they did. Guard duty is always to be done in pairs. Even if they needed to contradict Uriel, they should have at least consulted with you first. You’re their sovereign commander. And they obviously know this, as we have seen just now.” Dean walked towards Castiel, embracing him in a gesture that by now already felt familiar. “Apart from that, they seem like good guys. And having their king almost get killed on their watch will only send them on a guilt trip. Better punish them now, then you can absolve them afterwards, and they can move on.”

Castiel let his head rest on Dean’s shoulder. The alpha’s words did make sense to him; and even though the guards had still looked ashamed as they went off towards the yard, they had looked less haunted than before. And Castiel might have felt irritated for Dean to order his guards around in the first place, but he had let Castiel handle the Uriel-incident for the most part. And maybe Dean did better understand how his soldiers ticked. Castiel had spent his whole life in the palace. Yes, he knew how to wield a sword, but he was not naïve enough to believe he had any insight in the harsh life of a soldier or the arduous training it took to be admitted to the Palace Guard.

Castiel could not help thinking that he and Dean made a good team. He chuckled at that.

“What?” Dean mumbled. He had leaned forward, so much so that Castiel felt the scratch of his beard at his cheek.

“You said I was a dick.”

Dean reeled backwards, at least as much as the length of his arms around Castiel did allow.

“I never said such a thing.”

“Yes, you did. Back in the stables. You said something like _your king is a dick_ ,” at the last words, Castiel tried, and failed, to imitate Dean’s deep rumbling voice.

“Oh,” Dean replied. He seemed embarrassed. “I’m sorry. It’s just… from your letter… I did not want Sam to come here. You made it sound like you were looking for a trophy husband with no rights whatsoever. Or some lust slave. It took Sammy _and_ Bobby to convince me to take the offer. If it helps, my opinion of you has much improved since then.” At the last words, Dean winked playfully.

Castiel huffed. He still did not know how people could interpret his words in such an insulting way. But he had obviously done something wrong. “We make quite a pair. You thinking I was a… ah… despot – while I was trying to convince myself that I needed to marry your brother.”

His own words brought Castiel back to their discussion from before Uriel’s attack. Nothing was solved.

Dean took his hand and led Castiel to a small sofa. They set down next to each other, thighs touching.

“Look, Cas, what I meant to say earlier is that you can just as easily marry me as Sam.” Castiel noticed, for the first time, that Dean kept calling him by the name he had given the alpha in the stables. He liked it. No one else called him that. “You wrote, in your letter, that you wanted to support the alliance with a marriage between our Houses. And I would assume that I fit the bill just as much as my brother.”

“But, Dean, I would need to live here. And you are king of your own country.”

Dean sighed. “I am not a king, Cas.” Castiel raised an eyebrow at him. “I mean, formally, yes. But what I truly am is a general, a soldier. That may make me a good leader in wartime, but ruling in peace? That’s not really my thing. I’ve been trying the whole year to get Sammy on the throne. He’s a lot smarter than me. He has plans to introduce a whole lot of new laws and changes to Winchester. He’d make a great sovereign, while I on the other hand, would rather spar with the soldiers and learn about new battle formations. While at the same time, I hope I will never have to use them. I hope I will never lose another one of my people again.”

“What are you saying, Dean?” Castiel had a fairly good idea of what Dean was trying to tell him, but before he would allow himself to give into his hope, he needed the alpha to say it out loud.

“I am saying that you would not have to give up your throne, or anything else you have worked for. Instead of Sammy, you could marry me tomorrow. My brother will make a great king, and I could move here. And be your lust slave.”

Castiel blushed. “You wouldn’t…” Castiel looked up and into Dean’s mischievously sparkling eyes. He assumed that the alpha had made a joke – and was a little proud of himself for recognising it. Balthazar claimed he never understood when he got teased. Maybe his Mate could teach him. Being teased by Dean seemed infinitely more desirable than by Balth. Especially when the alpha looked like that, all boyish charms. “Of course you would occupy a respectable position as my Consort. I will listen to your opinions just as much as I would have listened to Sam´s, no matter what you thought about my letter. But it is true, I would be King, and you my Consort. You would consent to those terms?”

“Of course, your Majesty. I’ll let you handle all the boring state affairs and pledge my allegiance to you. I’ll be happy to only sometimes growl at some lords and ladies when they treat you like you’re incompetent just because you’re an omega.”

“You really would not care about that? That your omega mate has more power than you?”

Dean sighed. “Cas, the way I see it, for the last decades alphas had control and look where it got us. War, death and suffering. It’s probably time to see what you and Sammy can do to change the world for the better. I might enjoy a good fight from time to time, but I am not seeking war. I want my people happy and safe. Only peace will see to that. And, like you said, the best way to permanently achieve that is a marriage. Not to mention that… Cas, I would get to spend my life with my Mate. I promise you, I will be very much all right with that. With you.”

A warm feeling spread through Castiel’s whole body. It almost felt overwhelming, the idea of spending his life with his Mate. This was almost too good to be true. But he was very much convinced that they would make a good team. He then remembered how easily Dean had just ordered around his guards and he had an idea. “You know, I might have just lost the Head of my Palace Guard. I could somehow see the royal consort in that position.” Some lords and ladies would surely not like a former Winchester in such a position. But after what had happened today, Castiel felt like he might develop some trust issues – a problem, he would not have with his Mate. It was just as wonderous as the stories said. He had met this man just a few hours ago, but Castiel would easily trust Dean with his life. He could not wait to get to know this man he already held in his heart.

“If it means I get to protect my mate, I am all for it.” Dean’s eyes sparkled again. He leaned forwards, oh so slowly. “I will keep you safe day and night. Especially at night. I’ll keep very, very close just to make sure you’re …”

Castiel had finally enough with the teasing and sealed his lips to Dean’s in their first gentle kiss.

It felt quite as magical as it was supposed to, considering he had found his True Mate.

“So, does that mean you will have me?” Dean whispered after a while.

“Yes, Dean, I shall be so happy.”

They smiled at each other and just as their lips found each other again, the doors flew open once more, and in went Balthazar, Gabriel, Rowena, Charlie and Sam. It seemed like Anna had kept them in the dark for as long as she could. Castiel tried not to show his irritation as he and Dean answered their questions. It was weird, but the attempt on his life was not the most important thing that had happened to him that night. He would rather explore his bond to Dean than ponder about Uriel’ motives. But he would entertain their friends for now, knowing that in twenty-four hours he would get Dean all to himself.

It was already late at night until they finally sent for food.

It was even later when Castiel remembered the guards in the yard.


	6. Chapter 6

EPILOGUE

A year later, Castiel had almost forgotten about how stressful it had all felt when he had met his Mate. In his memory, it was a rather funny story, one that Gabriel and Balthazar teased him mercilessly about. And Castiel was mostly able to shrug it off.

Today was the anniversary of their wedding as well as the official peace agreement, and the palace had organised some festivities. Right now, Castiel and his Consort were sitting in a theatre with about a hundred other people, only some of them noble, most were commoners. The play was about a prince who met his True Mate in the stables – Castiel was certain that the idea had been proposed to a playwright by his cousin. That was why Castiel shot Gabriel a dirty glare every now and then, but the beta just wiggled his eyebrows at Rowena. Sam, who had visited for the celebrations, clapped Gabriel on the back every now and then, that traitor. But on the outside, Castiel stayed perfectly calm. Few people knew how he had met Dean, even though it was public knowledge that the King of Aniol and his Consort were True Mates. It had sparked quite the excitement when Castiel had married the former king of Winchester instead of his brother. But the official story said that Castiel and Dean had only met at dinner that night. Even though nothing had happened, Castiel would not have enjoyed the gossip once people found out they had been alone in the stables before. He just hoped no one would associate the play with him and his Mate. Castiel sighed. He _had_ wanted the townspeople to be able to attend musical soirees and plays, so he would not complain about them enjoying some romantic comedy.

It helped that his relationship with Dean felt so good and he refused to feel guilty about any part of it. 

Even though a few lords had raised their eyebrows, Castiel had made Dean the Commander of the Palace Guard, and after a few months no one had complained anymore. Dean was obviously skilled at his task, and no one could question his loyalty to Castiel. But the king also regularly consulted with his Mate on all kinds of other affairs. Despite the fact that Dean would not stop to refer to himself as the _dumb_ _alpha_ , Castiel always valued his input. Dean understood technical things faster than Castiel, which had helped immensely with his sewer project. And he was a lot better with people and could easily soften one of Castiel’s direct orders with a charming smile in the right moment. Moreover, Dean would always be honest with him. When they attended the High Council, the alpha never openly disagreed with him, but once they were in their private chambers, when they were just Castiel and Dean, his Mate was not shy to tell Castiel when he thought his plans were unrealistic – or when he had just, in Dean’s opinion, acted like a dick towards someone. Not that Dean was always a paradigm of cordiality himself. The alpha did not tolerate laxness in his soldiers, and he did have a temper when he was displeased. Luckily, Castiel and Dean seldom lost control at the same time, or about the same things. Sometimes, Dean would take Castiel for a ride or spar with him to get the king to calm down when he thought he needed it. And he could be very stubborn when Castiel tried to keep working once Dean thought he had done enough. He did not even stop at seducing Castiel in the council hall if he wanted him to get his mind off state affairs.

They really worked well together, and in the last year both Aniol and Winchester had been thriving, the friendship between the two countries proving profitable to both nations.

Castiel had feared to be mated to an alpha, had feared it would take away his authority or that at the very least his husband would be unhappy with a lesser title than his own. But he had never expected that there were no titles in their bedroom. Which was a beautiful thing, because this way, Dean allowed him to be vulnerable. Castiel could be held by his alpha and talk to him about whatever was on his mind. The omega knew that even though his Mate never showed it in public, he needed to take care of him every now and then. And Castiel would not deny his alpha something that felt so good to him as well. He assumed Dean’s attentions would only intensify once Castiel told him about the child under his heart tonight.

The two main actors on stage kissed and the curtains closed. Everyone clapped, and Castiel did too, a little flushed.

“You know, I liked that play,” Dean whispered to Castiel, for once sitting next to him instead of standing behind. “Maybe we could, you know, reenact it once we get home. In a more mature version.”

Green eyes sparkled, and Castiel could feel the familiar flutter in his stomach. He could also feel something else further down, that meant he was very much interested in Dean’s proposal.

“Maybe in our version, the Prince doesn’t even make it to the awkward dinner with his friends. Maybe the soldier seduces him in the stables...”

Dean laughed his deep vibrating laugh. “Finally, I’m rubbing off on you.”

Castiel shot him a smile.

He could well take the teasing of his cousin as long as Dean made him feel this way.

**Author's Note:**

> As always: English is not my first language, so please forgive me my mistakes.  
> Kudos and comments always make me happy.  
> Stay safe!


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